Hailing from the great state of Virginia (after spending his first five years in Florida) Chris started playing mandolin when he was nine and added the guitar a couple of years later. At age twelve he joined his parents' band, Red and Murphy and Their Excellent Children. They recorded two projects as a family and he also played on his sister Casey's Real Women Drive Trucks CD. In high school Chris took up drums and put together a rock band called the Bends. They played loud, fast, and wrote all their own material.

Chris moved to Nashville in late 2003 where he has worked with Dave Peterson and 1946, and Audie Blaylock and Redline. Chris concurrently worked on his own musical projects, including a solo CD entitled Monroe Approved, which was released to great critical acclaim on Arrandem Records in 2006. For three years he and Casey fronted their own band called Casey and Chris and the Two-Stringers. They released one CD: Get Along Girl. He now plays regularly with Shawn Camp's band.

Chris played mandolin on the CD project, The Bluegrass Elvises, with Shawn Camp and Billy Burnette, on the American Roots publishing label. The made a few personal appearances with the group, including the Grand Ole Opry in August 2007.

Chris and his dad Red appear occasionally as a duo, and have played at the Florida Folk Festival, the Will McLean Festival, and the Gamble Rodgers Festival. They released a CD simply called Red and Chris, that features original and traditional folk music on mandolin and guitar.

Much of Chris's time is spent composing and writing songs, and he has produced several rap CDs for himself and others in his home studio. He has recorded one instructional DVD for the Murphy Method, Bill Monroe Style Mandolin, and has appeared on many more. He gives lessons on mandolin and guitar in Nashville, and another solo CD project is in the works.

Click here to download the nifty show poster for his January 16th, 2008 Station Inn show.
(It's a big file, so beware if you have a slow connection!)